The Great Granada Hunt: "Granada" = Pomegranate

The pomegranate plaque next to the entrance to our
lovely hotel, Hotel Zaguán del Darro.

So I still don't have time to write a very involved entry, but I've been sitting on a bunch of great photos for Granada for a really loooong time. Rather than write a more thorough entry on this famous overly-American-tourist-infested southern Spanish city, I thought I'd share with you a great photography game you can play when you visit there. I call it, the Great Granada Hunt!

Now, for those of you who didn't know, "granada" is Spanish for pomegranate. And it took me less than 2-3 hours upon arriving to the city of Granada to realize that they have pomegranate iconography run amok all over the place. (At one point I told my wife: "Man! Maybe they got a little carried away with this pomegranate stuff." To which she wisely responded: "I dunno. Can you imagine what it would be like if 'Valencia' actually meant something in Spanish? That something would be plastered on every official and unofficial wall of our city." Indeed, bats and oranges have already overrun Valencia, and I wouldn't be surprised if a motion was proposed to change the city name to Taronja or Rat Penat.)

Spot-a-pomegranate, the game: So here's how the game works. All you need is a camera and walking legs. Start looking for every instance of a pomegranate that you see and snap a photo. Pretty soon you'll have a wild collection of pomegranate footprints running all across the town.

Some ubiquitous instances of pomegranates in Granada are understandable. The "granada" appears in the lower right corner of the City's official seal. This naturally causes it to appear around town in various official capacities...

On street signs...

But also on the tourist guide signs...

To mark the fancy street name signs on the ground at street crossings on Gran Vía...

Even on utility covers...

But the City, in its zest for granadas, has also embedded them into the styled designs found in the ground all over the city and its landmarks...

And let us not forget what was easily the classiest touch: granadas used to form the tops of the cute posts that lined the streets to keep cars off the sidewalks...

And then there were the decorative fountains, which also naturally featured the city's favorite fruit...

"Fuente de las Granadas" next to the Río Genil

Even the fountain at Plaza Nueva is topped by a pomegranate

Look carefully and you'll see the granada adorning elegant facades of important city buildings...

At some point the denizens of Granada got into the game, because it's not just official buildings and emblems that are decorated with the distinctive fruit...

It's on metal flowerbed holders ...

... on the shop sign of one of many "Arab" shops on Calle de la Calderería ...

... on the entrance door to a residential building ...

... above the entrance door to a small church ...

Hah! I counted no less than 5 granadas on the journey up to and through La Alhambra, and that was without me even trying! Try finding some of these pomegranates while you wander through Spain's most famous monument...

Oh, my poor wife! At first my photo obsession irritated her. We'd be walking along, exhausted and eager to get to the next destination, and I'd be stopping every few steps, exclaiming, "There's another one! Just give me a sec while I snap a pic." (Confession: I have many, many more photos of granadas/pomegranates that I did not post.) But eventually even she got into it, spotting some of the harder to find ones, even showing a bit of sporting pride on her part about it. Spot the pomegranate is a great game, and a way to jazz up your more typical Spanish urban tourism visit. Granada is not just about the Alhambra. Apparently it is also about pomegranates. Go figure!

And as a prize for all your fun photo-documenting Granada's obsession with granadas, you can even buy yourself a ceramic decorative plate with, yes, you guessed it, a pomegranate on it...

________________ADDENDUM: THE VIEWER'S CHOICE________________

Thank you to one of my readers (José, whose comment is below) for pointing out that the pomegranate is also in the Spanish national seal ("escudo") at the center bottom, representing the Granada kingdom. It's quite an elegant design for a pomegranate, if I may say so!

Molly, a Granada expat blogger at Piccavey.com, tweeted me this photo of a 15th century fabric which, in its pattern, features granadas. She then wrote this blog entry on "Pomegranates..." with her own photo take on granadas in Granada.

Please keep them coming! Have you spotted a pomegranate in Granada recently? Couldn't resist snapping a photo? If you share it with me on twitter or through my email, I'll post it here with full credits to you.

PPSOE fusion, Spain finds lost 5,000 billion euro note in couch cushion

Sorry that I've been too busy to write blog posts. It's probably a good sign for me professionally and personally. So I if you don't hear from me, that means that I've been getting a lot of good work done in my other, non-blog life. But I'll come back to it, I promise!

The proposed new PPSOE logo
in cerulean blue.

While you were away... there have been a few big news stories here in Spain. First, following the successful complete failure malaise of the "huelga general" (general strike) this past Thursday, Spain's two major political parties, Partido Popular (PP) and Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), have announced that they are going to fuse into one super party, PPSOE. The announcement came as a surprise to many, particularly to those who had believed them to represent two opposing political ideologies.

Many of Spain's more jaded sophisticated politicos, however, saw the fusion as a natural extension of the two parties' long shared history in ignoring popular concerns and practical solutions in favor of childish Parliamentary bickering. Jesús Mata Mata, renowned politically obsessed blogger and insider to the party merger said: "It was really only a matter of time before both parties realized that they enjoyed arguing with each other more than with others, and certainly more than actually running the country. So why not simply make their habit of speaking past all other political parties a formal thing?" Many also speculate the merger will be received well by the public as a huge cost-saving gesture on the part of the political establishment. "Now they can coordinate their arguments in-house, thus improving the efficiencies of disagreement, saving time for all," Mata Mata added.

Former PSOE leader Rubalcaba's
preferred color: Spanish red.

One potential impediment to the successful fusion is resolving which color the new party will ultimately adopt for its new logo. The PP favors its cerulean blue color, while PSOE insists that red, its former logo's color, is, "Clearly way more Spanish."

In an unrelated story, Spain's Ministry of Financial Muck-ups shocked financial markets yesterday with the surprising announcement that it had discovered a misplaced 5,000 billion euro note under a Parliamentary couch cushion. Some are likening the find to the discovery of the sunken ship and Spanish treasure of La Señora de las Mercedes, the last time Spain had lost this sizable a quantity of heritage money. The Ministry acknowledged that it had forgotten about the money, and was now recalculating the budget deficit with the discovery in mind. While many financial analysts say this windfall might offset the dire predictions about Spain's sovereign debt, that have been making investors skittish about the country in recent months, others argue that it is further proof that certain European Union member states cannot be relied upon to manage their national budgets.

London financial analyst John Snottypants offered his unsolicited armchair opinions about it, "Look, we've all done it. Lost that 20£ note only to find it later. It's like money from nowhere. What a great feeling. But I'm starting to wonder whether these PIGS countries know what they're doing. I mean, sure, misplace 55€ billion here or there, like Germany did, that can happen. But to misplace 5,000 billion. Unacceptable."  Both Standard & Poor's and Moody's announced that, in light of this discovery, they were going to consider downgrading the country's credit rating to "Couch cash" status, a rating which sits just above "junk bond" but below "Can you help a brother out?" status.

The couch was a personal gift to the national Parliamentary building from former Valencian President Francisco Camps, symbolizing the Autonomous regional capital's rich tradition in anti-IKEA small-business furniture sales. Some unnamed sources close to Spanish President Mariano Rajoy, however, have alleged that the couch might have been specifically designed to embezzle public funds by emptying the pockets of Ministry members who carried the public budget around with them when they took their afternoon siesta on the couch. While there has been no official response from Rajoy on this allegation, a memo went out this morning to all Ministry staff to not carry public funds with them while out on breaks and revoking Camps's access (though not his membership) to the Parliamentary lounge.

Obama, having heard the news about Spain's windfall, seen here checking
the Oval Office couch cushions for any lost change you can believe in.

Happy (American) April Fool's Day!!!

Valencia's Fallas 2012, the hangover post

La cremà of Falla Na Jordana

Here's a visual recap of the last few days here in Valencia, the madness and glory that is was Fallas 2012. Before I start with the photos, let me just say, this is my third Fallas and I'm still amazed how much I had to learn, how much I still have to learn about them. There is so much going on, one either needs to join a casal, be a fallero all year long, or live through dozens of them to truly grasp the level of detail and variety of activities that happen at this festival. (Note to self: Can Fallas be to "Not Hemingway's Spain" what San Fermín was to Hemingway?)

[Heads up: Starting this week I'm reducing my frequency of posts to once a week... They're each so long, I'm sure you'll still have plenty to read.]

The Dirty Dozen:

I list them in no particular order, but these are the usual suspects, the must-see fallas that everyone was talking about this year.

(1) Ayuntamiento

As usual, politically safe but well done. I'm convinced they chose this
scaffolding design as a way to send the signal that, "We promise we didn't
overspend public money on Fallas this year. Honest!"

(2) Sueca

The real buzz for Sueca was its light display, but the falla was also good.

(3) Exposición

This was one of my personal favorites this year. From what I read, it was the artista faller's
first time building a top category Falla. Well done!

(4) Nou Campanar

With a budget of 400,000€, this was this year's (and every year's)
most expensive and largest falla.

(5) L'Antiga Campanar

While "only" half the budget of its nearby mammoth neighbor, L'Antiga's
"Resurrection" theme was quite entertaining.

(6) Almirante Cadarso

In 2010 this was my favorite falla and discovery. While I didn't like their theme this year,
I still loved their style and execution of it. They are definitely on my radar for future Fallas!

(7) Cuba-Literato Azorín

This was a big year for this falla, for them to score the 2nd place in the Special Section.
And they also had an excellent lights display (see below).

(8) Na Jordana

This was probably the most creative and elegant of the top twelve fallas...
Leonardo DaVinci and his creations. The beard was made of threaded wood,
a technique which is apparently a specialty of the artista faller.
It won the "Ingenio y gracia" (ingenuity and grace) Award, and was well deserved.

(9) El Pilar

Their theme this year was fun: "Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda."
More than the overall effect, what I liked about this falla was it's many playful ninots (see below). 

(10) La Merced

I'm still trying to figure out why locals always list this falla among the
"must sees". It was alright, but I think they could have changed the
orientation of it to better effect.

(11) Convento-Jerusalén

Something tells me I would have liked this falla a whole lot more if it hadn't been
for the cramped viewing space and hoards of people. As is usual for it, the
theme was bland safe, but it was masterfully executed.

(12) [Insert your local falla here]… For me, Trinitat!

My humble barrio had a good year this Fallas. The Falla Trinitat won 1st place in the "ingenio y gracia"
area within its Sección 2A, and its falla infantil won 1st place in Sección 5. Go Trinitat!

The Categories – Who won, and who should have won:

So naturally every year it's about who won the big prizes, but also about who we thought should have won them. So here you go...

• Falla sección especial:

Winner: Nou campanar

Located far from most of the others and with a massive budget, this falla
pretty much becomes its own satellite festival during Fallas.

Should have won: Na Jordana

But in my opinion, fallas shouldn't just be about scale. They should be about ingenuity, creativity,
and beauty. This homage to Leonardo DaVinci was really something different,
and is therefore my personal tops for 2012.

Special mentions: Exposición & Maestro Gonzalbo

While understandably not in the same category of incredibleness as Nou Campanar
and Na Jordana, Falla Exposición was one of two more modest fallas
that really caught my eye this year, and which I think deserve an honorable mention.

But Falla Maestro Gonzalbo really surprised me. What an incredibly charming and beautiful
depiction of a fantasy, fairytale world! Congrats to them for getting 1st in their Sección 1A!

• Falla Infantil

Winner: Nou campanar

Okay, this was easily the biggest letdown for me this Fallas. This won 1st place!?!
It is way too busy. No one can deny the craftsmanship and detail, but part of art
is having an intuition about what is too much, and I think they crossed the line.

Should have won: Na Jordana or Exposición

Whereas the infantil of Na Jordana was extraordinary! For me, normally the
fallas infantiles sort of all blend together. But Na Jordana's reminded me that
they can be beautiful and high art. Its theme was clearly inspired by the classic
Valencian Tale, Tirant Lo Blanc, which only added to its charm.

The infantil of Falla Exposición was just adorable, and quite playfully creative
given that it was an actual functioning Carrousel. I deliberately avoided
the cremà for this falla infantil, since it would have been like watching
my childhood burn away.

• The lights display

Winner: Sueca-Literato Azorín

Actually, I think this light display deserved 1st prize just for the novelty of creating
an Eiffel Tower out of lights. It was the talk of the town throughout Fallas.
Indeed, I hope this will encourage other Fallas to experiment with this area in the future.

Should have won?: Cuba-Literato Azorín

But call me old-fashioned but I just love the light display tunnels, so I'm glad Cuba
got some recognition (2nd place) for its lovely lights.

• The 2012 "ninot indultat"... by popular demand...

La mona chita in the Falla Almirant Cadarso was this year's "ninot indultat",
the ninot chosen by popular vote from all the fallas  to be "rescued" from the flames
and saved for all time in the Fallas Museum. A reader (Victoria) reminded me of this tradition.
Thank you!

Other Important Fallas Festival Elements:

• Political commentary...

I personally think this is the coolest part of the fallas, how they go about stickin' it to the man by turning their falla into a political message about the mess these big whigs have gotten us in. No real surprises in who appeared, but let's all relish the cheap shots none the less...

Falla Maestro Gonzalbo: Spain's late for a very important date with Merkel!

You may have heard that Canal Nou, Valencia's local channel, has upset locals
with its clear political bias and management incompetence... thus making it
a recurring object of political taunts this year in Fallas.

• It's the little things that count...
Chic Soufflé wrote this nice post on the cats that appear in different fallas. This should be a game! What animal, vegetable, or mineral did you find recurring in a bunch of the fallas this year? (Good candidates: oranges, bats, political figures, celebrities.) Anyway, the real joy in falla-trekking is zooming in and looking at the curious, elegant, odd, frightening, bizarre ninots scattered all over each falla. Here are some of my favorite pics...

• Falleros/falleras...

These are the real protagonists of Fallas. They are its lifeblood and this is their moment. So let's post some more photos of falleros and falleras...

A casal from San Vicente Martir was using this handy fallerito-mobile
to get these falleritos back from the ofrenda.

An aside: This year one thing the falleros couldn't avoid... Political protests over recortes at the Ayuntamiento mascletà.

• Street food...
This year I got invited to a friend of a friend's falla's paella street party. (The perks of being more settled in Valencia!) What can I say, our host, Jesus, Sr., cooked some delicious paella valenciana.

This wasn't at our paella party, but when I saw people having fideuà instead of paella
I couldn't resist snapping a photo. Classy!

• La Ofrenda

No, no, no! They do _not_ burn her. (Once again I was asked this by my American first-timer friends.) While I stand by my statement that "la ofrenda" kind of sticks out in the Fallas ceremonies as a bit off kilter with the otherwise non-religious anarchical mood, it is unquestionably a beautiful ceremony. So here are some pics on that...

Before...

And after...

• Mascletà and Despertà... daily rhythms...

Pim, pam, pum. Awesome. No disappointments with the mascletàs. These sound fireworks shows were great! Here's my recording of the final mascletà, as well as an early morning despertà in my neighborhood (it was like this everyday at 8:30AM!!!).

Caballer did not let us down with this final March 19th mascletà. I'm certain my hearing will be impaired for weeks!

These jokers! Can you believe that each falla's casal has a group whose job is
to pass through their neighborhood tossing loud firecrackers accompanied by
a marching band... at 8AM!?! The result is that 8AM is one of the loudest times
of the day during Fallas... even though everyone is hungover from the previous
night's festivities. These jokers!

• Castillos...
Hmm. I'll be frank. If I noticed budget cuts anywhere in this year's Fallas it was probably here. Nights 1-3 of Castillos were all amazing, bolstering my wife's argument that American's Fourth of July Shows just don't hold a candle to Valencia's fireworks shows. But La Nit del Foc was a bit lackluster. Granted, from my spot I literally only saw half the show (see below on lessons learned). But it was a mere 17 minutes long, not the half hour of legend that my Valencian friends normally go on about. Still, all of this was another level of fireworks splendor. To the extent that my lame video camera permits (blog button idea: "donation" link to get support to upgrade my equipment), fixate on the lower fireworks. This is a signature trait of castillos here which we don't do enough of in the States...

Castillo for Nights 2&3 were, by all accounts, the best this year.
Here's my video for Night 3, pardon the auto-focus trouble.

And this is my partial-view video of La Nit del Foc

• La cremà, or what money looks like when you burn it...
How many years will have to pass for me to wrap my mind around it? They burn them!?! This year I went with Exposición, since it was a wider, more open space...

I first watched the Falla Exposición burning. First you see them dousing the falla with flammable liquid. Around minute 2:25 things pick up. And at minute 5:30 the fire really starts to burn.

And this is the Ayuntamiento's cremà. Things really get going
around minute 1:46.

A friend's recording of the Na Jordana burning, which as you can see was incredible, with the flame going up and inside Leonardo's head. Brilliant!

And then, with almost uncanny timing, it started to rain. Only 15-20 minutes after the Ayuntamiento Falla had mostly burned down it began to gently pour, washing away the ashes... How perfect is that?

Like clockwork: This was the weather forecast just hours before La Cremà.
Note how it predicted rain at 2AM, and God obliged.

Lessons Learned:

As I said, each year I learn something new, so why not share them. Here are some "deep thoughts" I had while living Fallas day-to-day...

1) Beware the Valencian liquor, anís de cazalla!!! Let me splain. No, let me sum up: I tried this stuff and let's just say I had a night to be remembered, or really to be forgot. (Santi, a.k.a. Obelix: Why did I let you talk me into trying it on an empty stomach?) This is strong stuff. Be advised.

2) Arrive to your Nit del Foc viewing party spot early, definitely not just 15 minutes before it starts. Hoards of people watch this —I heard a figure like more than half a million— and there is only so much hoards-of-people viewing space along the river. So if you are intent on watching it without being crushed by said hoard of people, you probably should go 30 minutes to an hour ahead of time and find a good, safe spot.

3) A real aficionado of a Falla goes to see that falla both during the day and at night, because it looks different. Sure, you wanna see them all. But try and see at least one of the good ones twice. It's interesting watching it transform from daytime-mode to nighttime-mode.

4) Go to the lights show in Russafa early (i.e. the night of the 15th), before the hoards of people make it a nightmare to visit. Really, Valencia's population doubled this year with all the visitors, and the streets around the Russafa fallas (and Convento-Jerusalén falla while we're talking about it) become impossible to navigate, and thus enjoy the sights. Be advised.

5) Bikes open up new horizons… like finally getting to see the Falla Nou Campanar! This and L'Antiga are really out there in the middle of nowhere. (Sorry Campanar neighborhood, just saying.) So it was doubly sweet to be able to ride my bike through the River Park and up some bike lanes to see them. It was worth the trip. But then again, any excuse to take the bike out for a ride is a good one.

And that's it. "It's over. Go home." Come back next year. That's right, it's March 20th, so everyone is back to work here (well, excepts those "en paro"), so there's no point in lingering. But don't worry! We'll be back next year, I promise, and the following, and the follow. So the good times will roll again!

Nighty, night!